Wisconsin volleyball team leak leads to police probe after images trend on TikTok

Police are “investigating multiple crimes” after leaked photos of the women’s University of Wisconsin volleyball team circulated on TikTok and Twitter.

Private photos and videos of the Wisconsin volleyball according to a statement from The University of Wisconsin athletics department, the student-athletes alerted the UW-Madison PD (UWPD) as soon as they became aware of the leak.

The statement said: “UWPD is investigating multiple crimes, including sharing sensitive photos without consent. UWPD is not investigating the volleyball student-athletes for wrongdoing in this matter,”

When were the private photos and videos leaked?

Private photos and videos of the Wisconsin volleyball team were leaked on Thursday evening (October 20th), just 24 hours before the team, also known as the Badgers, were set to play against Michigan State.

Despite the scandal and breach of privacy, the student-athletes took to the court and won the volleyball game.

As is unfortunately often the case, the photos and content discussing the leak began to be shared widely online with seemingly little intervention from TikTok or Twitter.

It is currently not known how the sensitive images came to be circulated online and police are in the process of examining this.

What was leaked?

Photos showing the women celebrating a national win in the team’s locker room were leaked.

The photos were taken almost a year ago in December 2021, after the University of Wisconsin women’s volleyball team defeated the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship in Columbus, Ohio.

A photo of the team pulling up their sports bras in their locker room, as well as a video of the athletes celebrating their victory, were among the leaked images.

Who are the UW women’s volleyball team?

The Wisconsin Badgers are one of the highest-ranked varsity volleyball teams in the US. The team is 13-3 with a 7-1 record in the Big Ten and is ranked No. 5 in the nation.

As per the UW Athletics : “Under [coach Kelly] Sheffield, Wisconsin has won on the NCAA level unrivaled by any other team.

“The Badgers are the only team to advance to the final four the last three seasons in a row and one of only three teams to compete in the Sweet 16 the last nine years in a row.”